Structural member and method of making same



T C. H. MOORE ET AL STRUCTURAL MEMBER AND METHOD 0E MAKING SAME Filed Dec l, 1958 Gkzrmce jiflfoorz- Jam 6.M0

T I W May 14,, 1940.

Patented May 14, 1940 UNITED STATES) PATENT OFFICE s'rnvcrvau. MEMBER AND MAKING SAME METHOD OF Clarence H. Moore and James G. Moore, Jacksonville, Fla., asslgnors to The Aetna Iron 8: Steel 00., Jacksonville, Fla, a corporation oi. Florida Application December 1, 1938, Serial No. 243,42:

3 Claims. (01. 29-,155) a a web'l3 to provide clearance m the weld flllets This invention relates to metal structural members, such as flanged girders and beams, and to the method of making the same. vAprin'clpal purposeoi the invention is to provide'such str'uce tural members 'reiniorced in a novel manner whereby theirstrength is greatly increased.

l I-Ieretoforeii it has been" a common practice to weldfsuperposedreinforcing strips or; plates along the outer faces oi girder flanges; Maximum eflflciencyis; ri weve gnq obtained by this system,

since stressesaregstill transmitted between the flange andwe'bonlyfjthrough thee-single joint existing betvlleen'the1; yiri1g." According to the presenti'nventiomsuperposed reinior'cing'strips, plates or bars, ordinarily of rectangularforn'i, are applied'to the inner face or faces of the flange with certain of the strips in actual longitudinal abuting drawingfto which reference will be made in Figure 1/ is aside elevation er 'astructural member, here a plate girder, embodying the invention;

Figure 22 1s an enlarged section substantially on line 2- -'-2 of- Figure-1; I v

Figure 31s a section'similar to that of Figure 2 but ofa modifledjconstruction; 1 a i I Figure 4 is a section similar to that of Figure 2 but of a further modified construction;

Figure 5 is a section substantially on line 5--5 of Flgure4;. u

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a structural memher, here an I-beam with integral web and flanges, embodying the invention; I Figure 'l'is a section substantially on line l-l of Figured; l

V Figure 8 is a' section substantially on line 8-8 of Figure 6, and a Figure 9 is 'a'section substantially on line 9-9. of Figure 8. I

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, the metal girder generally designated at It has a web II and top and bottom flange plates l2 and I3, each of which projects on both sides of the web to give an I section. The flange plate I2 is here considered to be welded to the web .13, the weld flllets appearing at I, Figure 2. Applied flatwire to the inner faces of the flange plate l2 are metal strips, plates or' bars l and I6. The inner rectilinear edges of these strips are spaced from Hand also'for the weld fillets l1- and i8,"which are formed between the adjacent edges of the strips and the flange plate. The outer edges of strips l5 and I6 are spaced inwardly of theouter edges of; plate l2 and united with the latter throughthe weld fillets l9 and 20. According to the invention, the flange plate and web may flrst be weldedtogetherand then 'the strips l5 and l6 appliedyor the strips may be flrst applied to. the flange plate and then the web welded to the latter. The-result is the same in bothoas'es. either procedure being readily carried out, due to the spaces which are provided, and 'in which either sequence of weldingoperations is readily carried out. Edges I1 and It, as here shown,

are the ordinary square to thestrip laces. v

Strips 2| and 22' are imposed 'flatwise on strips l5 and It with their rectilinear inner' square edges23 and fl throughout against web I] and secured'to the latter through the weld flllets 25 and 2S. Strips l5 and I6 overhang the outer: edges of'strips 2| and 22. and are joined with the latter by the welds 21 and 28.

The invention is exemplified in thus fair described, since plates 2l "and 22 are directlywelded tothe web I: in stresstransmitting relation. Thestrips' or plates may be of any suitable length, but preferably stripsli and I 6 are somewhat shorter than the flange plate l2 and strips 21 and 22 are somewhat shorter than-the strips l5 and I6, asindicated in Figure l. The weld flllets are ordinarily intermittent but may be coeiitensive withthe respective strips and extend across the'ends oi the latter.

If desired, further strips 29 and 30 may be applied flatwise to strips 2l'and 22 and welded to the latter, the inner edges of strips 29.'and 30 being spaced from web I 3 to provide clearance for the weld fillets. Plates 3! and 22 may be imposed on plates 29 and 30 in the manner shown,

the adjacent edges of strips 3| and 32 abutting.

.reinforcedin exactly the same manner as just described in connection with the first flange. Four strips, 24, 35 and 26 are shown, these corresponding with strips l5, 2|, 2! and and being preferably duplicated on the other side of the .web. In Figure 3, the general arrangement is the edges; 1'. e., perpendicular the structure same as that described in connection with Figures 1 and 2. In this ease, however, the applied plates instead of diminishing in width away from the flange, are of such width that strips 31, 38,

39 and 60 project laterally, beyond the edges of flange 4i while the strips 42, 43, 44 and 45 terminate laterallyin the planes of .the flangeedges, the weld fillets being formed as shown. This construction is very satisfactory in use, but less convenient in production than that of Figures 1 and 2. In'the latter figures, the welds are all formed on the lower sides of the variousplates, whereas in Figure 3 plate 31, for example, is united with plate 4i by a top weld at its outer portion and by a bottom weld with plate 4| at its inner portion, and so on.

"The arrangement shown in Figure 4 corresponds generally with that of the previously described figures. In this case, however, the outer edges of the plates lie in the same planes, and grooves are formed between the plates to receive the weld fillets as at 46. As shown in Figure 5, the ends of space 41 may be plugged as at 48, and the plug may be a weld plug or of a plastic waterproof composition'of any suitable formula. On the other hand, the entire space 41 outside of that occupied by the weld fillets may be filled with'a suitable plastic waterproof composition. It will be-understood that all the spaces in all embodiments may be treated in this manner.

In Figures 6 to 9,the beam 49 is of I-section and includes a web El and top and bottom flanges II and 52 integral therewith. The top flange has the sets of plates 53, 54; 55,-": and 51, It applied thereto. The strips may be applied in the manner heretofore described; or as an alternative, and as indicated, the strips 53, I and 51, for example, may be first welded together and then applied as a unit to the beam by welding plate 83 to flangeli along the line 59, and plate I! to web" along the line 60, or plates 53 and It may be applied to the beam as a unit and then plate 51 applied. If desired, further strips, abutting and welded to web iii may be applied to strips 51 and 58, and so on.

It will be seen that in all cases the weld fillet between the first applied plate and the flange and adjacent the web, as at l1, Figure 2, or between the first and second plates, as inFigure 8, is confined to a disposition between the inner face of the flange and the plane of the outer face of the first plate, i. e., the plane of that face of the first plate which is remote from the flange.

It will be understood that the invention is by no means limited to the form and arrangement of parts shown except in the essentials pointed out in the following claims. 4

We claim:

1. A metal structural member including a web and a flange, and reinforcing means comprising a plate in contact with the inner face of said flange and having an outer'edge extending along and adjacent the outer edge of said flange and welded to said flange and an inner edge extending along said flange and spaced from said web sufllclently to accommodate a weld fillet confined to a disposition between said inner face of the flange and the plane of the outer face of said plate, and a second plate imposed on the first and having an inner edge lying against said web and welded thereto, said second plate having an outer edge adjacent the outer edge of the flrstplate and welded to the first plate. g

2., A structural member according to claim 1 -ner edge of said first plate.-

3. A structural member according to claim 1 wherein the first plate is welded to the second in the space existing between the inner edge of the first plate and the web.

4. A structural member according to claim 1 wherein the ends of the space which exists between the inner edge of the first plate and web are plugged.

5. A structural member according to claim 1 wherein such of the space between the inner edge of the first plate and the wab as is not filled by a weld fillet is filled with a plastic waterproof material.

6. The method of reinforcing a metal structural member, said member comprising a flange and a web, said method comprising applying a metal plate to the inner face of said flange with the inner edge of said plate in spaced relation to said web and the outer edge of said plate adjacent the outer edge of saidflange, welding said edge to said flange within the space existing by reason of said spaced relation, the weld being confined to a disposition between said inner face of the flange and the plane of the outer face of said plate, welding the outer edge of said plate to said flange, applying a second metal plate to the exposed face of the first with the inner edge of the second plate abutting said web and its outer edge adjacent the outer edge of the first plate, and welding said abutting edge to said web and the outer edge of said second plate to the first plate.

7. The method of reinforcing a metal structural member, said member comprising a flange and a web, said method comprising imposing one metal strip flatwise on another with one edge of the one spaced in parallel relation from an edge of the other so that a marginal portion of said other is exposed between said edges and with the opposite edges of said strips adjacent each other, forming a weld fillet in the angle between said marginal portion and the adjacent edge of said one strip, applying the thus formed unit to said structural member with the exposed face of said one strip against saidflange and the edge of said other strip which is adjacent said fillet against said web, and welding the last named edge to said web and the outer edge of said 'unit,

which is adjacent the'outer edge of said flange, to said flange.

8. The method of making a reinforced metal structural member which comprises welding a pair of strips in parallel spaced relation and fiatwisealong one face of a plate so that weld fillets are formed between the adjacent edges of the strips and the plate, welding the outer edges of said strips, which are adjacent the outer edges of said plate,to said plate, disposing a second plate on edge against the first and between said adjacent edges in spacedrelation to'the latter. welding the two plates together in flange and web relation, applying asecond pair of strips on the first with the adjacent edges of said second pair in abutment with said second plate and with their outer edges adjacent the outer edges of the first pair of strips, and welding said abutting edges of said second pair to said second plate and the outer portions of said second pair to the first pai of strips.

CLARENCE H. MOORE.

JAMES G. MOORE. 

